Protect & Serve

        “Attention!” Starlight snapped her hooves together in response to the captain’s call. She didn’t know the proper salute to give, but she knew how to stand at attention. It was something that she had made her own followers do in the past… minus the forced smile of course.

        Starlight mused on the similarities between her town and the military. When it got down to brass tacks, it was almost too close to not be funny in some sense. Strict living conditions, appearance mandated by an authority figure, a strict set of ideals to live by. Starlight had to admit that deep down, she craved that kind of order. It felt good. It felt like home.

        “Do you know what it takes to be a royal guard to a princess, Glimmer?” Shining Armor towered over the smaller mare, his eyes narrowed and full of cobalt fire. “Do you?” The stallion barked. It was all a front, of course. Starlight knew this was just an intimidation tactic to get her to panic or show a mere hint of an emotion that he could latch onto an attack. Too bad for Shining, Starlight was one hell of an actress herself.

        “No, sir.” Oh, Starlight knew what he wanted to hear. He wanted to explain, so she would let him. Behind a face of stone, she inwardly grinned. It would be an easy play for her, like taking candy from a foal.

        Starlight snapped back to reality, out of the mindset of the manipulator. She couldn’t think like that anymore, she couldn’t allow herself to fall back into those old habits of lying and manipulating. She had to rise above her past now and be a better pony.

        “It takes discipline.” Shining Armor started to pace in front of Starlight. “It takes vigilance.” Starlight followed the stallion with her eyes, trying to decipher the meaning behind the rhetoric. Was it supposed to be inspiring or was it just a declaration of what it truly meant to be a guard? “It takes constant, unwavering patriotism. When it comes down to it, a princess’ royal guard is the last thing standing between her and certain danger.”

        Starlight opened her mouth, hoping to say how ready she was to do this. How she was proud to offer her services to a pony who so readily offered their own. Before she could speak, she was cut off by Shining Armor launching into a tangent.

        “The year five hundred and thrity-six: Princess Celestia is on a diplomatic mission to Griffonstone. While trotting through the streets, a griffon dives from above with a sword brandished. If it hadn’t been for her guard at the time, Aegis, we would’ve lost Celestia and Equestria would’ve been plunged into a war we couldn’t win.” Starlight had never even heard of that story, not that it would be all that beneficial to teach young ponies. The last thing that Equestria needed was some sort of deep-seated resentment towards the Griffons. Probably for the best that it wasn’t told. “Year nine-hundred and ninety-three: the newly crowned Princess Mi Amore Cadenza is touring Equestria in celebration of her coronation. On a stop in Fillydelphia, an errant firework makes its way towards her, and would’ve certainly mortally injured her if it hit. Her personal guard, yours truly, produced a shield at the last second.”

        A tad bit boastful, Starlight had to admit. She had to wonder if life-saving was one of the reasons that Shining Armor was now a prince. Surely that had to earn some major brownie points. How many personal guards had taken things further with a princess? Shining couldn’t have been the first in the entire history of Equestria, it was unlikely to say the least.

        “But we’re not just protectors…” Shining continued. “... we’re not just ever-vigilant guardians. We’re confidants and companions.” Starlight heard Shining’s voice lose it’s edge ever so subtly. A wisp of wistfulness made it’s way in, but it was quickly quashed and the macho front was erected once more. “Being a monarch is stressful work, and at the end of the day their personal guard is one of the few ponies they can turn to. Somepony they can share their innermost frustrations and secrets with. We’re important beyond just safety, we’re an anchor for sanity and normalcy. Can you handle that, Glimmer?”

        That was a hefty order. It was the weight of not just physical of well being, but of mental clarity. If what Shining was saying was true, it was a large deal of responsibility beyond just what it looked to be on the surface. Twilight was already a very anxiety-prone pony, and a overly stressful situation was likely to send her over the edge. Could Starlight salvage that? Could she bring her mentor back from the brink of a breakdown and help her stay stable? Starlight wasn’t even sure if she was stable at the moment.

        “I don’t know.” Starlight sadly admitted. It was like admitting that you were wrong, that you had charged into a situation without thinking. She had just jumped at the chance to help Twilight, to repay her in some way. Was it too much?

        “Good. You can never be prepared for this job, or the challenges it will present you with. You’ll never be certain if you can handle something. The best you can do is your best and pray to somepony that it will be good enough.” The stallion stopped his pacing, coming face to face with Starlight once more. “Cockiness is one of many roads that will lead to disaster, Glimmer. Remember that.”

        “Yes, sir.” Starlight responded, taking every bit of information she had heard and committing it to memory. She would need to remember a lot of what he was going to say today, it would be nothing but help.

        “Now I need to gauge your abilities as a vigilant protector.” The armored stallion stomped his hoof on the ground once, then Pinkie Pie seemingly materialized out of thin air. Starlight could’ve sworn that the pink pony had not been anywhere near the area. In fact, she should’ve been working at Sugarcube Corner. “In order to do this, I’ve asked Pinkie Pie to help.”

        “Hi, Glimglam!” Pinkie chirped cheerfully, bouncing on her hooves in anticipation. “Isn’t this fun? I get to help you and Shiny be all official and stuff!” Starlight shot Shining a confused look, the stallion reciprocated with a very worrying smile.

        “Your job is to escort Pinkie to Sweet Apple Acres safely. I’ll be shadowing you the whole way, attempting to impede your progress, and ultimately hit Pinkie with a immobilizing spell. If I succeed at my task, you fail. If you do not get her to entrance to the orchard within forty-five minutes, you fail. Am I clear?” Starlight could think of one-million and one reasons why this was a bad idea, and the majority of them started with ‘it’s Pinkie Pie and-’. This was not just going to be a task, this was going to be a chore.

        “Yes, sir.” Starlight said once more. She didn’t want to ask any questions or complain, it would only allow Shining to pick her apart or reject her in some way. Now she was focused on the task at hoof. What route were they going to take? Where could Shining hide?

        “I’m going to leave. In five minutes you begin.” No other words needed to be traded between the master and apprentice. Five minutes was all Starlight had to think of an easy way to do this. That was a tall order.

        “This is going to be so much fun!” Pinkie exclaimed, drawing Starlight’s attention. “ It’s going to be like a super fun game of ‘protect the president!’ I’ll be all walking down the street and we’ll hear a spell go off and you’ll dive in front of me in slow-motion going ‘Noooooooo!’” The last word was drawn out in a overly deep and slow voice and Pinkie pantomimed leaping out in front of someone. “Then, I’ll hold you in my hooves and swear vengeance on the ones who did this!” Starlight found herself in Pinkie’s front hooves, lying almost on the ground. “I’ll get you for this! I’ll get all of you!” Pinkie shouted to the sky, shaking a hoof at some passing bids. “It’ll be super fun!”

        “Well…” Starlight pried herself away from Pinkie and picking herself up off of the ground. “I don’t think it’s supposed to be fun, Pinkie.” Starlight was going to take this as seriously as possible, no matter how much Pinkie attempted to undermine it. “I have to prove myself. I volunteered, and now I have to show that I’m capable.” This was a matter of pride now, plain and simple.

        “Okie doki loki!” Pinkie returned to her normal bouncy state from the ground. She didn’t question Starlight’s motivations or even ask any follow-up questions. The pink pony just accepted it at face value and went on with her life. Starlight wished that most ponies could be like Pinkie. It would make life a lot easier.

        The next few minutes passed in relative silence. Starlight thought over her plan while Pinkie hummed a happy tune and looked around the area with bright eyes. How was Starlight supposed to keep the pink earth pony in check? That was going to be the hardest part out of everything. Starlight had no doubt that she could keep Shining at bay and protect Pinkie, but keeping up with Pinkie and keeping the hyperactive ball of energy on the right path? That was a bit more difficult.

        “Time to go!” The party pony exclaimed with a smile. “Five minutes is up, Glimglam! C’mon, let’s go!” Before Starlight could say anything, or even react, Pinkie bounced off at high speeds. The unicorn sighed and ran after her charge.

        “Pinkie Pie! I need you to slow down, alright?” Starlight tried to layer her voice with as much honey as she could, as she was sure vinegar would do nothing. “I can’t protect you if you just run ahead.” It seemed to work, because Pinkie stopped bouncing and instead slowed down to a manageable trot. Starlight sighed thankfully. “Now, I don’t think we should go through the center of town, I think we should cut around and go by Carousel Boutique, there’s a lot less hoof traffic that way.” It was reasonable to assume that Shining would have an easier time impeding or even succeeding in a crowd, and an advantage was the last thing that he needed.

        “But I need to stop by Sugarcube corner.” The earth pony responded, her mannerisms deflating a bit. “Mrs. Cake just got back from her parents house with the twins in Whinneapolis, and I haven’t seen them in a whole week!” Starlight thought it over. It would be dangerous, and she didn’t even know how long that would take. Was it worth the risk? “Pwease, Glimmy?” The puppy dog eyes that Pinkie gave cut Starlight to her core, it would be like a kick to the gut if she denied that.

        “Fine.” Starlight conceded. “We’re not going through town to get there, we’ll circle around by the old library and make our way through the back.” It was going to be a longer trip than just going through the town proper, but it would be safer in the long run. When they got there, Starlight would demand Pinkie be quick about it, and then they would be on their way.

        “Yay!” Pinkie jumped into the air and then took off once more, forcing Starlight to keep pace with her.

        The unicorn kept her head on a swivel. One eye always had Pinkie in its periphery and the other was looking in alleys and the windows of the passing cottages. She didn’t know exactly how much Shining had prepared for this, but she was going to put nothing past him. Could he get into a house? Probably if the ponies inside recognized him.

        A flash of white caught her eye in an alley to her right. Starlight spun to face the possible threat, her horn fired and at the ready. The alabaster pony with the two-tone blue mane would’ve caught an immobilizing spell if Starlight hadn’t noticed that it was not a stallion like she was expecting. It was a mare. Vinyl Scratch was her name, some DJ that lived in town. Starlight had run into her a few times but had never noticed how much she looked like Twilight’s brother.

        The gender-swapped doppleganger raised an eyebrow at the offensively stanced unicorn. Starlight gave the mare a sheepish smile and killed the magic surrounding her horn. That could’ve been very bad. The last thing she needed to do right now was attack an innocent pony.

        Starlight turned and caught up with Pinkie once again.This part of town was dead, unusually so. A pony or two trotting to the center of town was expected around this time of day, but complete and utter stillness? That was not something that was normal. Something was wrong.

“Starlight…”

On instinct, the unicorn spun to locate the pony who called her name. Every direction was clear, though. There was no pony in sight, no one who could’ve called her name. Was this one of Shining’s tricks to throw her off? That was the only logical explanation.

        “Not this time, Shining.” Starlight gritted her teeth and focused on the mission. Getting Pinkie to the orchards safe and sound was her only priority. She wouldn’t allow a little bit of magic telepathy to cloud her judgement now. She couldn’t allow it to happen.

        The rest of the walk to Sugarcube Corner was thankfully uneventful, if not filled with tension. There had been no attempt on Pinkie yet, and besides the voice in her head, Starlight had seen neither hide nor hair of the captain of the guard. He was cooking something up, probably for right as they arrived at Sweet Apple Acres.

        “Okay, Glimglam I’m just going to go in and say ‘hi’ to the twins, alright? I’ll be right back!” Starlight wouldn’t stop Pinkie. Sugarcube Corner was a safe space, and as long as Starlight was out here watching the entrance, it would be perfect.

        “Make it quick.” Starlight ordered, taking post by the door. Pinkie bounded for the door and called for Pound and Pumpkin cake. Meanwhile, Starlight thought about the journey ahead. Who knew what Shining had planned, or if he had built some sort of elaborate trap to set Starlight up for failure. The possibilities were truly endless.

        “AAAHHH!” Pinkie screamed, Starlight could hear it clear as day from outside. Without thinking, Starlight charged through the doors to find Pinkie Pie frozen solid, arcs of pink magic surging across her body. Starlight found Shining sitting at a table in the corner, looking at a menu.

        “You just let her go off alone?” He looked up from the menu, directly at Starlight. “Not to mention discussing your plans aloud in public? I knew where you were going to go exactly.” Starlight cursed under her breath. It was a dumb mistake that cost her the entire exercise. She should’ve been more careful! “Sloppy, Glimmer. You failed.” Starlight was going to defend herself, but Shining raised a singular hoof. “Go home, tomorrow we do it again.”

        “How’d it go?” Twilight was in her personal study, just as Starlight guessed she would be. Currently, her nose was buried in a book and a quill was errantly marking some notes with the help of magic.

        “I failed.” Starlight sighed and collapsed on a couch that sat across from Twilight’s desk. “I made a dumb mistake and paid for it.” Starlight wasn’t physically exhausted, but her ego and self-confidence was drained to a point of almost non-existence. Starlight did not deal with failure very gracefully, she let it consume her thoughts and bring her entire mood down. It was a very bad habit.

        Starlight saw Twilight glance up, then put her book down and sigh. “Are you sure you want to do this? Be my guard, I mean?” Nervous violet eyes zipped back and forth across the room, too anxious to come into contact with Starlight. “It’s a demanding job, and I don’t want it to interfere with your studies.”

        “Twilight, I owe you this.” Starlight mustered up whatever determination was left in the pit of her being. “After all you’ve done for me, the least I can do is try to keep you safe.” There was no edge or fire in her voice, it was smooth and calm. “I can still study and keep you safe.” Starlight tried to be reassuring, but she didn’t know if it would work.

        “You don’t owe me anything, Starlight.” Twilight stood up from her desk and strode across the room the couch. “I didn’t do any of this because I was expecting to be owed anything. I never want you to feel like you need to do something for me, because you don’t. You’re my friend, and that’s all I could ever ask from you.”

        Starlight couldn’t help but smile, and her spirits lifted almost instantaneously with the words. Leave it to Twilight to bring a warm fuzzy feeling to Starlight’s stomach, that seemed to be the alicorn’s special talent.

        “I want to do this.” Starlight reiterated, a sense of resolve filling her voice. “I want you to let me do this.” It was the truth, Starlight wanted no conflict from Twilight. She just needed the princess to give her a chance to prove this was a good idea.

        “Okay.” Twilight said after a brief hesitation. “I just don’t want you to run yourself ragged over this, you know? I don’t want you to overexert yourself just because of me.” Before Starlight could respond, her mentor pulled her into a warm embrace. “Thank you for doing this, for volunteering. I appreciate it, I really do.”

        Starlight returned the embrace, closing her eyes and resting her chin on Twilight’s shoulder. It was in that moment that every single doubt left and her self-confidence returned en-masse. It was like the hug recharged her very soul. If this moment could last forever, Starlight would gladly allow it.

        “I think I’m going to go to bed.” Starlight said, pulling away from the hug. “It’s going to be a big day tomorrow, and I need all the rest I can get if I have to wrangle Pinkie again.” Twilight opened a wing and motioned towards the door, a smile still across her face.

        “That’s too true.” She agreed with a smile. Starlight started towards the door, Twilight following close behind. “Goodnight, Starlight.”

        “Goodnight, Twilight.”

        “We’re not stopping by Sugarcube Corner again, Pinkie.” Starlight was adamant about that fact. Yesterday that had ended in disaster, and it was not going to go the same way today. “We’re going straight to Sweet Apple Acres, and that is that.” Starlight was going to put a hardline on the goal and not allow Pinkie to distract her.

        “Okay…” Pinkie replied dejectedly, hanging her head in disappointment. Did Starlight feel bad? Of course she did, but it would pass eventually. Once she beat Shining Armor, that feeling would be replaced with victorious pride!

        It was a very routine walk through Ponyville, for the most part. Ponies passed, saying ‘hi’ to both Pinkie and Starlight. Foals ran around, playing some made up game or looking for their cutie marks, and salesponies peddled their wares. All was right and there was no sign of Shining Armor.

  “Starlight.”

        There was that voice again, the same one Starlight had heard before. It was soothing and distant, yet crystal clear and right in her ear. A paradox of sound that she just could not place. Starlight spun on her hooves, looking for the source of the voice, only to find that as she spun the town changed. She wasn’t in Ponyville any longer.

        A row of plain, nondescript buildings sat on either side of her. The rows ran for ten or so buildings, and a superior, two-story house stood at the end of the rows, looking over them. This was the town HER town.

        Panic gripped Starlight’s heart and she began to hyperventilate. She didn’t want to be here, she never wanted to be here again. The unicorn backed away from the buildings, as if any of them could lunge out at her and swallow her whole at any given moment. Starlight saw each of these buildings as a wolf, and the entire pack was ready to pounce.

“Order”

        As the voiced rasped out the word, every single door in the village flung open and filled the air with sharp sounds of slamming doors. Starlight closed her eyes, wishing that she would be taken away from this horrid place, that it would all just fade back into the recesses of her guilty mind

“Equality”

        As the ghastly voice tolled once more, it brought forth figures from the now opened doors. Starlight knew every single one of them, their paled coats, similar manes and twisted grins still haunted her. They were the ponies whose lives she had stolen away. They were specters of a ruinous rule.

 “Power”

        This time, the word came from the mouths of the grinning ponies that now surrounded Starlight. They spoke in deafening unison and with no inflection other than malice. They took a step towards her.

 “That’s all it’s ever been about.”

        The ponies advanced on her, two phalanxes closing in on either side. Starlight saw no way out but to run to her old home, it was right down the middle of the advancing crucible. So that’s what she did, she ran.

“It was never about doing what was right… It was about control.”

 The house wasn’t getting closer! The more she ran, the further away the house became. The two advancing lines of ponies simply seemed to stretch on forever as they continued their monotonous march towards Starlight.

“But you could have it all again. What once was could be yours once more…”

Starlight tripped, she didn’t know how. It didn’t matter, though. She was on the ground, and the ponies were speeding up their inevitable collision course. She was doomed, this was it. Starlight closed her eyes, waiting for the end.

“Twilight Sparkle is so close, all you would have to do...”

Starlight felt something raise her head. She opened her eyes only to find that she was looking at herself. An equal sign on her flank, her bangs split to either side of her horn, a sly devious grin on her face. There was a difference though, the eyes. They were pitch black and filled with poison that wanted to pervade the very fabric of reality around it. It terrified Starlight.

“...is let me in…”

The inky black eyes of her doppelganger started to melt into the air, sending the poison into the area around it. Starlight felt magic force her mouth open, and the poison was now being forced down her throat. It was a gag, a ball that kept her from speaking or screaming.

Tears welled up in her eyes as everything started to go black.

        Starlight sat up in her bed, her eyes wide and sweat covering her brow. She looked around, making sure that the wretched town and its specters had dissipated. They had, she was back in her room in Twilight’s castle.

        It was just a nightmare.